Melinda
by Millie 1985
Summary: What if Merlin was a girl called Melinda and what if Arthur was raised away from Camelot not knowing he was a prince and what if the two of them had grown up together and Arthur knew all about Melinda's magic all along. Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

_AN:_ _Hi guy's, I think this is a kind of a strange story. It is a lot of different what if's going on in one story. What if Merlin was a girl called Melinda and what if Arthur was raised away from Camelot not knowing he was a prince and what if the two of them had grown up together and Arthur knew all about Melinda's magic all along._

The dragons call (part one)

**No young person no matter how great can know their destiny nor can they know how history will remember or misremember them. So it is for the two young friends arriving at the gates of Camelot, a young man and woman that will one day pass into legend**.

It was a bright sunny day when two new comers arrived in Camelot's market place. They did not seem any different from the many new faces that passed thought Camelot's gates every day but they were different. They were very different indeed; little did the people of Camelot know that these two young people would one day lead them into a golden age.

At first glance it would be easy to assume that both of the new comers were male. One was tall, broad and blond the other was small and wiry with a mop of dark hair but on closer inspection despite the tunic and breeches she wore the smaller of the two was clearly not a boy. Her features were too delicate to be male and the mop of dark hair was in fact a mass of long curls desperately trying to escape from a tightly wound bun.

Both the boy and the girl looked around them in wonderment but the boy did a better job of hiding his amazement than his companion. Camelot was far grander than anything either of them had ever seen. They couldn't help shooting each other bright smiles that seemed to say _can you believe we made it_

As they made their way across the castle court yard they were drawn into a crowed that was forming beneath a grand balcony. Up on the balcony they could see the king surrounded by his knights. As the king addressed the crowd both youngsters suddenly realised what they were about to witness, a man not much older than them self's was about to lose his head for using magic.

The girl froze in place she could not move, she could not think of anything but the poor young man before her and how she could easily share his fate.

The blond man could see the fear that his friend was feeling reflected in her eyes. He tried desperately to pull her away but the crowd was so dense that he could not get them far away enough to avoid hearing the sickening thunk as the axe came down.

When they were finally free of the crowd the pair looked back to see the man's distraught mother vowing to take her revenge on King Uther. She vowed to take his son from him with her eyes fixed on a slightly scruffy looking knight that was stood beside him. When Uther ordered her arrest she vanished using her own magic.

As the crowd began to disperse the young man pulled his friend aside he looked around making sure that no one could hear them before he spoke.

"Melinda look at me" he demanded forcing her to lift her eyes from his boots.

"That's not going to happen to you, I won't let it" he looked straight into her eyes and promised her

"I don't need you to protect me Arthur" Melinda told him trying to push her fear of discovery to the back of her mind

"I'm not going to get caught" she reassured him

"Just like no one was going to find out back home" he challenged

"You and Will were the only ones that knew, if he had just kept his big mouth shut Mother would never have sent me here"

"Just promise me you will be careful" he pleaded with her grasping her arm so she couldn't just walk away from him like he knew she would.

"Fine, I promise. Now can we go and find Uncle Gaius"

Arthur reluctantly released her and the two of them set off in search of Gaius the court physician and Melinda's uncle.

It didn't take them long to find Gaius's cambers after they got directions from one of the palace guards

Melinda carefully made her way into the room trying to avoid the clutter that covered every surface while Arthur waited in the doorway

"Hello, Gaius?" Melinda called out looking around but no one answered her and she couldn't see anyone, she was about to leave the chambers and look for her uncle somewhere else when Arthur caught her attention by waving at her and pointer upwards.

Sure enough when Melinda looked in the direction that Arthur had pointed she finally found the man she had been looking for; he was stood on a rickety looking balcony colleting an armful of books. He was so high up that he hadn't heard Melinda enter or calling his name.

"Uncle Gaius" she called up to him in a much louder voice than she had used before. Perhaps she called a little too loudly because Gaius gave a startled jump and the balcony gave way beneath him.

Melinda didn't have time to think before her natural instincts kicked in, she felt the familiar heat of magic race though her veins and the flash of power in her eyes. Almost instantly Gaius froze in midair as time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Melinda heard the slam of the door behind her and realized that only Gaius's time had slowed down the rest of the world had continued as normal which meant she could easily have been discovered especially considering that Arthur had only just shut the door to Gaius's chambers.

"I thought you were going to be careful?" Arthur snapped angrily at her.

"It's not my fault and besides what was I supposed to do? Let him fall to his death?" Melinda asked just as angrily

"So magic just dose it's self when you're around dose it" Arthur accused

While Arthur was yelling at Melinda nether or them noticed Gaius's bed was sliding across the room and positioning it's self beneath him until the loud bang he made as he crashed down onto it when time returned to normal made them both jump.

"Apparently so" Melinda answered Arthur accusation with a smug smile but her smile vanished when she was faced with an angry Gaius.

"Which one of you did that?" he demanded

"Emmm" Melinda floundered not sure what to say

"Neither of us did it, we don't know how that happened" Arthur cut in confidently with a smooth lie

"Don't you lie to me young man" Gaius ordered

"Now which one of you was responsible for that?" he pointed towards his bed.

"Me" Melinda whispered fearfully

"How did you learn that? Who taught you?" Gaius demanded

"No one" Melinda answer quickly

"Don't think you can fool me girl" Gaius almost spat

"Magic must be learnt and studied, now who taught you"

"She has told you no one and that is the truth" Arthur told Gaius crossly stepping in to defend his friend

"For as long as I have known Melinda she has be able to do things others can only dream of but she has never done any harm with her abilities" he explained defensively hoping desperately that the old man would keep quite long enough for him and Melinda to get out of Camelot

"I was born this way" Melinda confirmed softly

It seemed that Gaius finally believed them as he calmed down quite a lot quite quickly

"Who are you?" he asked in a bemused fashion

"Oh we have a letter" Melinda quickly slipping the note her mother had written for them out of her pack and into Gaius's hand

"I haven't got my glasses" Gaius told them matter of factly

"I'm Melinda" Melinda told him

"Melinda?" Gaius repeated the name as if it should mean something to him but he just couldn't remember what

"Hunith's child" he asked finally remembering what the name meant to him

"Yes" Melinda beamed

"You're not meant to be here until Wednesday" he told Melinda crossly making the smile fall from her face

"It is Wednesday" Arthur told Gaius coolly

"Oh" said Gaius clearly surprised

"And who might you be?" Gaius asked him in a much friendlier tone than the one he had been using before

"He's the prat that didn't believe I could get all the way to Camelot on my own" Melinda answered for him with a cheeky grin

"I had every faith in you getting to Camelot Melinda; it was your ability to keep yourself alive once you got here that I doubted" Arthur explained to his friend with an equally cheeky grin

"And do you have a name or shall I just call you prat" Gaius asked finding it impossible not to be drawn into the obvious camaraderie that the two young people shared

"I'm Arthur" Arthur told Gaius and offered his hand to shake

Gaius shuck Arthur's hand while giving him a strange look, it was as if he were trying to look deeper into Arthur. Arthur assumed he was trying to decide whether or not he could be trusted to watch over Melinda but Melinda wasn't sure there was an almost haunted look in Gaius's eyes that concerned her.

"Well, I suppose you will want to settle in" Gaius said after finally releasing Arthur's hand

"Melinda that will be your room" Gaius told her pointing over his shoulder at a door just behind him

"Arthur you will have to share the main room with me there is a cot over there you can use" he said waving vaguely to the right.

The cot that Arthur was meant to sleep on was a low bunk covered in books and medicine jars but that didn't bother him at all, Gaius knowing about Melinda's magic bothered him much more.

Arthur caught Melinda's arm to prevent her from leaving when she tried to move towards the room Gaius had pointed out to her.

"Your not going to say anything about that, are you" he asked Gaius pointing to his free had toward the destroyed balcony to illustrate what he meant by "that"

"No" Gaius reassured them both by giving them the first genuine smile they had seen from him since they had met him

"But I should say thank you for saving my life Melinda"

Melinda just smiled brightly as brushed passed both men and making her way into her new room. Arthur was turning towards his cot when Gaius's hand on his shoulder stopped him

"And thank you Arthur for taking such good care of her"

Arthur couldn't help but smile at the real affection he could hear in the old man's voice and he couldn't help but feeling bad for misjudging him so badly. It was obvious that Gaius cared about Melinda and that he wouldn't let anyone know about her magical secret, for the first time since leaving Ealdor Arthur felt truly safe

_AN2: Hi again guys I could really use some feedback on this one as I'm not sure what to think of it myself. It set up camp in my brain and wouldn't let me work on anything else until I had written it. Should I continue? Let me know._

_Thanks for reading_

_Millie _


	2. Chapter 2

_AN 1: Hey guys sorry for the long wait but I am finally back, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it_

**The dragons call part 2**

It did not take Arthur and Melinda long to settle into their new quarters; Melinda unpacked the few belongings she had bought with her before she went to help Arthur.

The two young people had always worked well together on any task they were given and this one was no exception, soon the unused part of the room that was once the most cluttered space of all was immaculate and ready to be slept in.

As night fell Melinda and Arthur were in Melinda's room discussing the day's events.

"Melinda did you bring any girls cloths with you?" Arthur asked as he surveyed the assortment of men's clothes she had stuffed into her cupboard

"There was no room in my pack" Melinda told him

"Besides shirts and breeches are far more practical than dresses" she defended

Arthur just shook his head at Melinda's stubbornness, no wonder she found it hard to fit in back home. He was already trying to think of a way that he could afford to ensure that his friend had some more appropriate clothing as soon as possible

Melinda was completely oblivious to Arthur's plans she was too absorbed in the view of Camelot to see the calculating look that had come over his face

"Arthur come and look at this" She gasped from her perch on the window sill

"Can you believe we actually made it to Camelot?" Melinda asked him as he joined her at the window

"I never had any doubts" he told her confidently

"No you didn't" she agreed

"Ector would be so proud of you Arthur" she whispered softly pulling her eyes away from Camelot to look at her friend

"I'm sure his son the farm hand fills him with pride" Arthur said with a sarcastic role of his eyes

"I'm sure he is proud of Will too but you are the one who fulfilled his promise, you are the one that came to Camelot" Melinda told him purposely misunderstanding Arthur's last comment and pretending she believed he meant Will instead of himself

Arthur skewed his face up at the mention of his step brother. Arthur and Will had hardly ever seen eye to eye on anything, in fact keeping Melinda's magic a secret was the only thing he remembered them agreeing on since they were young children and even that hadn't lasted. Will just had to open his big mouth and tell Hunith that he and Arthur knew the truth and that was why he and Melinda were in Camelot without him, he could not be trusted.

"Do you miss him" Arthur asked trying to shift the focus from his and Will's relationship and on to the relationship Melinda and Will Shared

"Yes, but I can get by without him" Melinda said firmly

"I'm not sure I could get by without you" she confided to Arthur

"It's a good job I'm here then, isn't it?" he teased her with a gentle smile

No more needed to be said between the two of them as they sat together in silence watching as the lights of Camelot as they came alive.

In the next room Gaius had finally found his glasses and was sitting down to read the letter Hunith had sent with Melinda and Arthur

_My dearest Gaius_

_I turn to you in my darkest hour, I am sorry but there is no one else who I can trust to help me. Every Mother believes that their child is special but I truly wish Melinda wasn't. Her gifts can no longer be hidden in our small village and I fear what will become of her if she were to stay here. I send her to you in hope that you can provide her with the guidance that she so desperately needs. _

_Melinda is not the only charge I am sending to you, the young man with her is Arthur. He is as close to a son as I will ever come, all of us can tell that he is meant for so much more than the life of a farmer. His guardian Sir Ector trusted me with his safety and now I entrust him to you, he is in needs guidance just as much as Melinda. They are both so young I beg that you protect my children when I cannot._

_May god keep you all_

_Hunith_

To say that Hunith's letter troubled Gaius was an understatement. He had already known of Melinda's magic thanks to her actions earlier and Hunith's letter had just confirmed his suspicions about Arthur. Now he had to decide what he was to do with this new information, he had a long night ahead of him.

Gaius was not the only one with decisions to make that night. Deep in the woods of Camelot a heart broken Mother had to decide if she should carry out the threat she had made against Camelot's King.

Part of her knew if she were to follow her plans though she would only be proving to Uther he was right and that magic was evil but a larger part of her was in too much pain to care.

Uther would pay for taking her son's life and she didn't care who she would have to destroy to get her revenge. Lady Helen would be her first victim because her image was just too good of a disguise to pass up.

Mary Collins felt a brief flicker of sadness flutter within her at what had become of her life and the path she had chosen but she knew there was no turning back for her; she only hoped that the gods of the old religion would forgive her for her actions.

The next morning the first traces of dawns light was filling Melinda's room when she was pulled from sleep by a voice calling her name. It wasn't the voice alone that woke her but the desperate need she felt to answer the call. There was only one person that had ever made her feel that way before and only when he was in some sort of danger and needed her

"Arthur" Melinda cried out lurching to her feet and racing out of the room

The voice continued to call to her once she was in the main room but now she could tell that it was not Arthur calling her because he was sleeping peacefully in his cot. Knowing that the voice did not belong to Arthur did not mean that she could ignore the pull of it.

Melinda was in the doorway of Gaius's chambers about to slip out and find the source of the voice when a harsh grip on her shoulder pulled her back into the room and back to reality

"Melinda, what are you doing" Arthur hissed angrily at her

"There was a voice, someone was calling me and I had to find them" She offered weakly

"Dressed like that" Arthur asked just as crossly as he had been before

For the first time Melinda remembered that all she had on was a big baggy shirt that Gaius had given her to sleep in the night before.

Before Melinda could say anything in her defence the gruff voice of Gaius filled the room

"What on earth is going on here?" he demanded sounding extremely shocked

Arthur and Melinda both froze suddenly realizing what the situation must look like to Gaius.

Arthur who was dressed in only his sleeping trousers had yet to release his hold on a scantily clad Melinda. Arthur let go of Melinda so fast that she nearly fell over but that didn't stop her from trying to explain what had happened

Gaius found it hard not to chuckle aloud as both of the youngsters flushed red with embarrassment and babbled over one another trying to tell him what had happened. From what he could gather Melinda had thought she heard something and Arthur had stopped her from wandering around the castle in her night things.

Gaius silenced them both by raising his hand

"Get dressed both of you" he told them dismissively causing both of them to shoot him a grateful smile before rushing off in separate directions.

When Melinda remerged from her room dressed once again in men's clothing and with her hair in a bun she found Arthur sitting at Gaius's table with a look of complete disgust on his face. She took one look at the breakfast that Gaius had put out for her and knew exactly why Arthur was pulling such a face.

"There's some water there" Gaius told her pointing to the bucket on the table as she took her seat

"I noticed nether of you washed last night" he commented

"Sorry" both Arthur and Melinda mumbled as they tried to choke down what they assumed was Gaius's attempt at porridge

When Gaius was sure that neither of them were looking at him he gave the bucket a gentle push and sent the water in it cascading towards Arthur. The soft thump of the bucket against the table made Melinda look up, as soon as she saw the water her magic reacted freezing it just like she had with Gaius the day before.

"Arthur move" she warned her oblivious friend

Arthur hopped out of his seat reacting to Melinda's order before he even knew why he was moving. Just as he managed to get out of the way the water unfroze and poured down onto the seat he had been sitting in

Gaius couldn't help but be shocked even though he knew that the girl had magic seeing her use it so effortlessly was still a surprise to him

"How did you do that?" the old man demanded

"Did you incant a spell in your mind?" he asked

"No" Melinda told him without hesitation

"I don't know any spells"

"Well what did you do?" Gaius wanted to know

"I don't know, I didn't do anything, It just happens" Melinda offered helplessly how could she explain her magic to Gaius if she didn't understand it herself

Arthur had had enough of the old man interrogating his friend

"It is part of who she is" he told Gaius flatly

"And those of us who care about her have to except that as the only explanation we will ever have"

Gaius was not a foolish man he knew a challenge when he saw one. Arthur was testing him to ensure that he truly cared about his niece and didn't just find her a fascination; he strongly suspected that if he failed this test both Arthur and Melinda would be gone from Camelot before sunset.

"Well I think it would be best if we find some way to keep you both out of trouble until I can find some paid work for you" Gaius told them dropping the subject and passing Arthurs test while he was at it.

He gave them some medicines to deliver and a sandwich each to eat instead of the slop he had filled there bowls with.

Arthur suggested that he should make one delivery and Melinda should make the other then they could meet up in the main court yard and set about exploring Camelot for the day and avoid any other chore that Gaius might have in mind for them.

Melinda agreed to Arthurs plan but she didn't miss the fact that he insisted on taking the medicine that was for Lady Percival and left her to deal with the blind knight

Melinda found that delivering medicine was not as easy as she had assumed it would be when the weevil Knight as Arthur had christened him downed all of his in one go before she could pass on Gaius's warning not to; she hurried away from his room hoping against hope that she hadn't just poised the poor old fellow

When she reached the court yard there was no sign of Arthur which meant one of two things either his delivery was going very well or very badly. Melinda amused herself watching the people of Camelot going about their daily lives; everything seemed so much more alive that than the life Melinda had known before.

A group of handsome young men caught Melinda's eye but sadly it wasn't because of their good looks it was because of their very unattractive behaviour. A scruffy looking man that seemed familiar to Melinda was throwing daggers at a young man holding a target while the others were cheering him on.

Melinda looked around her unable to believe that in a place like Camelot no one was going to step in and stop this. When the young man dropped the straw target and became the man's human target Melinda decided she had seen enough

"That's enough" she called out to the scruffy man as she made her way towards him

"You've had your fun my friend, the game is over" she told him firmly

"Do I know you?" the man growled threateningly at her as his target ran away

"I'm Melinda" she told him refusing to be intimidated by him

"Strange name for a boy" He commented to his friends who all laughed

"It would be if I were a boy" Melinda informed him with a toss of her head before turning to march away. She hadn't even taken two full steps before she found herself pinned against the scruffy dagger throwing man. He had her pressed so hard against his chest that she found it hard to breathe.

"Well, well you are a girl" he commented, looking at Melinda in a way that made her skin crawl

"Let me go" she demanded fiercely but the man's grip only got tighter

Melinda was trying desperately to think of a way to use her magic to save herself without exposing herself when suddenly the man released her. Melinda didn't understand what was happening until she saw a flash of golden hair.

"My friend asked you to let her go" Arthur snarled at the man he had just pulled off of Melinda, he threw him to the ground and moved to check Melinda was alright but he never made it to her side

"Guards" the man yelled from his place on the ground that was all it took for Arthur to be restrained by two burly guards

"Stop" Melinda cried racing towards Arthur

"You can't do this" she said disbelief filling her voice

"Actually I can" the scruff man told her

"Take her too" he said to the guards two of which reacted immediately and took hold of Melinda

"Who do you think you are the King?" Arthur roared trying to escape his guards

"I may as well be" the man told Arthur menacingly

"I'm Knight Valliant, his chosen heir" he practically crowed before he buried his fist in Arthur's stomach and sending his world into darkness. The last thing Arthur was aware of was Melinda's panic stricken voice screaming his name.

_AN 2: Hay guys me again, I was hoping to finish the whole of the dragons call in this one chapter but it was just getting too long but if you are enjoying the story don't worry I have this week off work so I should have at least episode 1 finished by the end of the week. _

_Let me know what you think_

_Thanks for reading_

_Millie_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Hey guy's, thank you so much for all the amazing feedback I have gotten so far, you have no idea how inspiring I find it. Once again this was the chapter where I was sure I was going to reach the end of episode one but sadly when I hit ten pages on word I had to admit that it just wasn't going to happen. Maybe I will manage it next chapter we will just have to wait and see LOL._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, I really wish I did_

_**Dragons call part 3**_

As Arthur's darkened world began to slide back into focus he was only aware of two things, one was that he was very cold the other was that he was in a great deal of pain. As time passed more and more came to him.

He felt his head resting on something soft and warm while gentle fingers were running their way thought his hair. The last thing he became aware of was the voice that whispered his name and called him back toward consciousness.

When Arthur finally managed to flutter his eyes open he found himself in a small, dank prison cell with his head cradled in Melinda's lap

"Melinda, what happened?" He gowned bringing his hand up to his acing head

"Would you like the short version or do you need details?" She asked with a watery smile as she helped him to sit up

"I think the short version is all I can take right now" he told her honestly

Melinda reminded Arthur of their encounter with Valliant as briefly as she could, Arthur nodded slowly reliving the horrible moments when he had felt truly helpless for the first time in his life.

"You had to pick a fight with the future King of Camelot didn't you?" Arthur teased Melinda

"Well you know me, I never do things by half's" she said with a warm smile

Melinda's smile instantly fell from her face when Arthur put his head in his hands and gowned again

"Arthur, are you alright?" she asked knowing that it was a foolish question as Arthur obviously wasn't alright

"If Valliant hit me in the guts why is my head killing me?" Arthur asked in confusion

"I think you hit your head when the guards threw you in here" Melinda explained

"I'm so sorry Arthur" she whispered

"I should have just kept my mouth shut" she told him

"No you shouldn't" Arthur disagreed

"You did the right thing" he reassured her with a smile

The two friends sat together in silence for a moment before a sudden thought occurred to Arthur

"Melinda, if Valliant hit me in the guts why is my head the ONLY thing killing me?" he asked her in a deadly calm tone

Melinda didn't need to answer the look of guilt that flashed across her face told Arthur all he needed to know

"Melinda, you know you can't do that here" he hissed at her

"Why not?" she challenged him

"You were hurt because of me and no one was around to see why shouldn't I help you" she demanded

Melinda was no healer but she had found some years ago that she could magically will Arthur's pain away, any injury he received was still there but she could at least lessen his pain

"Because I am not going to be the reason you lose your head" Arthur snapped at her quietly

"You promised me you would be careful" he reminded Melinda softly throwing his arm around her shoulder when she looked like she was about to cry

"I know I did" Melinda signed

"But please don't ask me to leave you in pain when I can help you" she whispered peering up at Arthur with pleading eye's

Arthur could never say no to her when she looked at him like that and Melinda knew it. He had just dropped his head in defeat when he felt a tingle of magic race across his scalp taking his pain away with it.

His head snapped up just in time to see the last sparks of gold retreating from his friend's eyes. Arthur didn't want to admit it but he was glad Melinda had insisted on helping him it was such a relief to be free of the headache he had woken up with.

Arthur pulled Melinda closer to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder

Neither of the young people were under any illusions, they both knew that their stay in the cell wasn't going to be a short one and that at the very least they were in for an uncomfortable night.

"We'll be alright" Arthur promised Melinda just as she was drifting off to sleep

"I know we will" Melinda murmured back with a confidents that Arthur wished he shared

While Melinda and Arthur slept Mary Collins was arriving in Camelot. All who looked upon her saw the beautiful and talented singer Lady Helen, no one could see the hatred and pain that simmered beneath the perfectly false exterior

As she glided towards King Uther she felt her resolve harden, any second thoughts she had about carrying out her revenge were washed away by the sight of him surrounded by those he cared for the most. Knight Valliant his chosen heir stood to his right and his ward the Lady Morgana was on his left.

Mary had known from the moment she had sworn her vengeance which of the two she would be taking from him.

She knew that Morgana was the only hope Camelot had of ever being a safe place for magic users, it was well known that she didn't condone Uther's hatred of magic and that she held at least some sway over the cold man's heart. The young woman had to live meaning that Valliant had to die.

Just being in Uther's presents made Mary feel sick but she forced herself to endure it, she knew that it would all be worth it when she avenged her dear Thomas.

She excepted Uther's welcome and attentions with the grace of a true noble woman, she pretend to be flattered beyond words while in truth the man made her skin crawl and she had to resist the urge to bat his vile hands away from her. She would not have to stand him for long she reminded herself just until the feast then it would all be over.

Sunlight slowly filling Arthur and Melinda's cell was what awoke Arthur the next morning. He felt like he had only closed his eyes a moment ago but he knew in reality it must have been hours.

He was wondering if he should wake Melinda when she suddenly jerked awake of her own accord for seemingly no reason. She frantically began searching the cell her eyes were full of confusion and Arthur felt worry rise within him, it was the same look she had worn yesterday morning when he found her in Gaius's door way.

"Melinda what's wrong?" he asked softly

"Shush" she snapped at him pacing the cell like a restless animal

"Didn't you hear that?" she demanded after a short, tense silence

"Hear what?" Arthur shot back in frustration

"There" Melinda stated pointing at the floor where she and Arthur had been sitting

"A voice, A voice calling my name, didn't you hear it?" she asked him and for a moment Arthur thought he could hear a deep, gruff voice calling out to Melinda

Melinda watched Arthur as he knelt to examine the spot she had been pointing to. He cautiously reached down to sift thought the straw that lay there but suddenly the cell door burst open causing them both to jump violently

"Melinda, Arthur two of you really do amaze me" Gaius told them as he bustled into the cell, his anger and frustration made it clear he didn't mean in a good way

"The one thing I asked of you was to stay out of trouble and what do you do, you assault Knight Valliant of all people" he spluttered angrily at them

"Do you know how idiotic that was?" He demanded

"Sorry" both youngsters mumbled not even trying to defend them self's

"You're very lucky, I managed to pull a few strings and get you released" Gaius told them his temper cooling

"Oh Gaius, thank you, thank you, thank you" Melinda chanted like a child

"We won't forget this Gaius" Arthur added warmly

"But I'm afraid Arthur there is a price you must pay for fighting with Valliant" Gaius told the young man solemnly

Melinda was shocked

"But Gaius he was protecting me" she protested

Gaius just looked sadly at his niece telling her without words that nothing could be done while Arthur placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder; he had accepted that he was going to face some sort of punishment before the thought had even occurred to Melinda

As punishments for nearly flattening the Heir to the throne went Arthur had to admit that a morning in the stocks didn't seem too bad but it was not an experience he would like to repeat

After the first hour his back had begun to ache and the smell of rotten food was making him feel sick. He wasn't sure if having Melinda there made the whole thing better or worse.

She stood off to the side to avoid getting just as covered in food as Arthur was but whenever the village children would run of to find more things to throw at him she would rush over and clean him up as best she could all the while berating him for being such a noble prat and assuring him she could take care of her self

Melinda was picking tomato seeds out of his hair when Arthur noticed that an extremely pretty young woman was approaching them wearing a nervous smile on her lips, Arthur sincerely hopped she wasn't just passing by and he was very pleased when she stopped to talk to them even if he was covered in rotting food.

"I'm Guinevere" she said softly introducing herself

"But most people call me Gwen; I'm the Lady Morgana's maid"

Melinda smiled brightly at Gwen and brushing her hand against her side to get rid of the tomato seeds she had just gathered up before shaking Gwen's hand

"I'm Melinda" she greeted

"And this prat is Arthur" she said laughing as she ruffled his hair

"Melinda" Arthur hissed under his breath trying to pull his head away from her hand but failing miserably due to being stuck in the stocks. This just made both Melinda and Gwen laugh

"I just wanted to tell both of you how brave I thought you were yesterday" Gwen told them once she had recovered from her giggling fit

"I didn't do much, Arthur's the brave one" Melinda said modestly

"All I did was open my big mouth, it was stupid"

Melinda knew Arthur didn't blame her for what happened but that didn't' mean she didn't blame herself and she wasn't going to take credit for his brave actions

"You did more than most people would have done" Gwen told her

"Most people would have known who they were taking on, if Arthur hadn't have turned up when he did-" Melinda trailed off not wanting to think about what could have happened to her

"I'm glad Arthur arrived when he did" Gwen agreed

"And it looked like you almost beat Valliant" Gwen complemented Arthur

"Almost beat him" Arthur said in an outraged tone

"I did beat him; he was on the ground when he got the guards involved, that means he lost"

Melinda tried very hard not to laugh at Arthur in the stocks pouting like a little boy and just about managed it but Gwen wasn't so lucky, she found herself chuckling uncontrollably at Arthur

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" she apologized when she got hold of herself

"I just wanted to say it was great that you stood up to him" she told them proudly

"Both of you" she added looking Melinda right in the eye

"You think so?" Melinda asked still unsure as to whether she had done the right thing

"Valliant's a bully and you two were real heroes" Gwen told them

Arthur wanted to continue talking to Gwen but he could see the children retuning with freshly filled baskets of rotting food

"If you would excuse me Guinevere, my fans have retuned" he pointed out

Gwen made a face as she eyed the discussing baskets before turning to leave

"I don't suppose you could you take Melinda with you could you?" Arthur joked while she was still within hearing distance. Gwen however surprised him by taking hold of Melinda's arm and shooting him a warm smile

"Gladly" she told him and the two women disappeared into the crowded streets of Camelot

The last few hours of Arthur's punishment crept by with no sign of Gwen or Melinda returning. When the guards finally release him Arthur made his way to Gaius's chambers assuming that he would find Melinda there but Gaius hadn't seen her since he had passed the stocks laughing heartily earlier that day

Arthur wanted to go straight back out in search of Melinda but Gaius insisted that he get cleaned up before he went anywhere, Arthur reluctantly agreed because the smell of rotting food was becoming unbearable.

It took Arthur far longer than he could ever have imagined to get rid of both the muck and the smell he had acquired in the stocks. When he was eventually done he found that Gaius had prepared lunch for the both of them and left enough in the pot for Melinda. Remembering the gruel from yesterday he was shocked to find that the soup Gaius had made actually smelt really good.

Arthur wanted to ignore the inviting smell and go find Melinda but after Gaius assured him that Gwen was a very sensible young woman and that Melinda would be perfectly safe with her he found himself giving into his hunger and taking a seat at the table opposite Gaius

The Men had been eating in silence for a few minutes when a loud slam of the door heralded the arrival of Melinda. Arthur was actually enjoying his soup so much that he didn't even look up when she entered

"There is soup in the pot for you Melinda" Gaius commented also not looking up

"I found out all about Gwen for you Arthur" Melinda told him as she filled her bowl

"Why would I want to know all about Gwen?" Arthur asked trying to sound disinterested

"Oh I don't know" Melinda pondered

"Maybe because you went all starry eyed the moment you saw her" she teased

Arthur finally looked up from his meal intending to tell Melinda he had never been starry eyed in his life but when he caught sight of her the words died on his tough

"What happened to you" he asked in awe

The Melinda that stood before him was a totally different girl to the one that had left him in the stocks; she actually looked like a girl. Gone were the boy's cloths and in their place was a simple but form fitting blue dress. Arthur had of cause seen Melinda in a dress before she had worn them a lot back home but all of her old dresses had resembled potato sacks her new one defiantly didn't.

"Ask him" Melinda said pointing an accusing finger at Gaius

"Apparently my new guardian spoke to Gwen this morning about some more appropriate clothes"

Gaius looked up from his bowl when it became clear that Melinda was talking about him

"Well Melinda, you look lovely" he complemented her

"Thank you Gaius" Melinda smiled at him

"Gwen does good work" Arthur commented

"And thank you too Arthur" Melinda said knowing that that was as close to a complement as she was going to get from him

"Gwen is the best seamstress in all of Camelot but I must say I am surprised had something suitable ready for you so fast" Gaius told them

"Apparently I'm lucky I just happen to fit into some old dresses she had" Melinda explained

"You did get more than one didn't you?" Gaius checked

"Yes I did" Melinda confirmed

"I got three but it feels like too much you shouldn't have to clothe me Gaius" she told him

"Nonsense, your mother asked me to take care of both of you and that is what I intend to do" he told them in a tone that left no room for any doubt

"What did you mother say to you about why she was sending you to Camelot?" Gaius asked Melinda softly

"Just that I was special and that she thought I would be safer in Camelot than I would back home" Melinda explained

"You are special" Gaius agreed

"I have never known anyone to use magic the way you do" he told her

"What recklessly and without thought?" Arthur asked making all three of them laugh

"No, instinctively with no training and no spells" Gaius clarified

"It seems that it is as Arthur said yesterday just part of you"

"What is the point of it being part of me if I can't make use of it" Melinda asked quietly

"For that question I afraid I don't have any answerers but perhaps with time we will find some together" Gaius told her gently

"Did you ever study magic" Arthur asked wondering how a man that lived in a kingdom that banned magic could know so much about it

"Uther banned all magic twenty years ago" Gaius said side stepping the question

"Why would he do that?" Arthur asked

"He had his reasons" Gaius stated once again giving Arthur that deep penetrating look that had so unnerved him when they first met

"What where they?" Melinda wanted to know

"Magic was misused so much back then that the natural order of things began to suffer, Uther made it his mission to destroy the old religion and all of its followers, even the dragons were not safe" Gaius explained sadly

"He killed all of the dragons?" Melinda asked appalled

"All save one whom he imprisoned in a cavern beneath the castle from which it can never escape. He keeps it alive as a symbol of his power over the old religion" Gaius told them

Gaius could tell that both youngsters found Uther's reaction to magic disturbing and his treatment of the dragon unthinkable.

They were not naive enough to believe that everyone that used magic was a good person but they also knew that magic it's self was not inherently evil. They found it hard to understand why if they could see that Uther couldn't.

Gaius only hopped that when the time came for Arthur's life to change he would not become as blind as Uther in the process. Little did he know just how soon the change in Arthur's life was going to come

_Thank you for reading_

_Let me know what you think_

_Millie_


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: 1 Hi Guys, once again I haven't reached the end of episode one but it's not for lack of trying. Oh well I will try again tomorrow, I hope you enjoy the chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin _

**Dragon's call part 4**

Melinda and Arthur's lunch with Gaius lasted much longer than they had expected it to, this was due to the fact that it turned out Gaius was actually quite a good cook and they both ended up having second helpings of his soup Once they finally finished Gaius sent them if to deliver Lady Helen's throat preparation.

Melinda spent most of the walk from Gaius's chambers to Lady Helen's rooms trying to take in all the grandeur around her. Arthur seemed to take it all in his stride, focusing on getting them where they needed to go as opposed to the things around them

"At least try to keep up Melinda" he called back to her when he realised just how far behind him she had fallen

"So do you want to hear all about Gwen?" Melinda asked as she jogged to catch up with Arthur

"It's clear you want to tell me so get on with it" he told her still trying to fain disinterest but not fooling Melinda for a moment

"Well her farther is a local Blacksmith, she is a seamstress and she has been the Lady Morgana's maid ever since she was a young girl" Melinda rattled off smiling brightly

"That's all about Gwen" Arthur said in disbelief

"I could have gotten more than that from Gaius" he told her

"Could Gaius have told you she like's ordinary men" Melinda countered

"She isn't impressed by titles or gold but she was impressed by you yesterday" She told him with a proud smile

"Really? She was?" Arthur began to blush

"Yes really, she saw the whole thing from the Lady Morgana's window; she meant what she said this morning about you being a hero, I tried to convince her that you are just an over protective prat but she wouldn't believe me" Melinda couldn't resist teasing her friend

"Melinda, you didn't" Arthur was appalled

"Of cause I didn't" she shot back with a role of her eyes

When they reached Lady Helen's room, they knocked but they got no answer

"Well what do we do now?" Melinda asked

Arthur didn't bother answering her he just gave her a look before opening the door and walking into Lady Helen's room

"Arthur, you can't do that" Melinda hissed following after him

"Well I just did" Arthur said putting the little bottle Gaius had given them on Lady Helen's dressing table

"Ok, well now it's done let's get out of here before we get caught" Melinda whispered trying to pull Arthur back towards the door but Arthur refused to move

"Melinda, look at this" he said lowering his voice so that he was also whispering

He held up a doll made of straw for Melinda to see

"What do you think it is?" Arthur asked handing it over to her

"I don't know" Melinda said taking a closer look at the doll while Arthur pulled an ornate book out from under some clutter.

The Book was beautiful but the sound of heels in the hall outside had Arthur hiding it way again before Melinda could get a proper look at it.

Everything was back where it belonged just as Lady Helen entered the room

"What are you doing in here?" Mary demanded coldly, starring at the two young people she had found in Lady Helen's room.

"We were asked to deliver this" the girl told her snatching up a bottle from the dresser and handing it over.

Mary looked down at the potion the girl had just given her; she assumed it was some kind of preparation for Lady Helen's voice.

She had every intention of raising her head, thanking them and coolly and dismissing them but to her horror when she did look up she saw the cloth that covered her mirror had slipped. If either of the intruders glanced over their shoulder her reflection would show them her true form.

She gave them both a gentle if slightly uncomfortable smile which the girl retuned but the boy was looking at her as if he knew she was hiding something

"Well Melinda we must be going" he said decisively taking the girl by the shoulders and practically pushing her out of the room.

Mary let out a sigh of relief when they left the room without discovering the truth for a moment she had thought her plans of revenge were going to claim two more innocence lives. She felt bad enough about Lady Helen's death, she was not a killer by nature she hated the thought of hurting anyone but she hated the thought of Uther Pendragon going unpunished more

"What was that all about?" Melinda asked Arthur as they made their way through the lower town of Camelot

"What?" asked trying to play dumb

"You rushing me out of Lady Helen's room like it was on fire" Melinda clarified

"Something just didn't feel right" Arthur admitted reluctantly

"You felt it too?" Melinda asked relieved she wasn't the only one that felt something was off with Lady Helen

"I think we should both avoid her as much as we can" Arthur told her firmly

Melinda was just nodding her head in agreement when someone barged into her and sent her stumbling into Arthur causing both of them to fall to the ground

"Are you alright" Arthur asked Melinda helping her back on to her feet

"Yes, I'm fine" she reassured him

"Well well if it isn't Melinda and her protector" sneered a familiar voice; they turned and found themselves face to face with Valliant and his cronies'

Arthur put himself between Melinda and Valliant whilst glaring daggers at the Knight

"You certainly are a girl aren't you" Valliant leered at her

Arthur made a low threatening growl in the back of his throat

"Arthur stop it" Melinda warned placing a gentle hand on his shoulder

"This isn't really about me it's about baiting you so let's just walk away" she told him trying to lead him back towards the castle

Arthur nodded slowly and began to follow Melinda's lead

"So your running away" Valliant goaded, Arthur almost tuned back but Melinda managed to stop him

"No we just don't think you are worth the fight" she told him firmly over her shoulder

"And what about you Melinda? Are you worth the fight" Valliant asked tauntingly

"What?" Arthur growled ripping his arm away from Melinda and marched back towards Valliant

Valliant didn't say anything he just gave Melinda a suggestive look.

Arthur's fist was flying before he was even aware of it, he connected with Valliant's jaw with so much force that it caused the Knight to stagger backwards.

Valliant chuckled darkly and spat out a small amount of blood

"You've done it now boy" he told Arthur fiercely

"What are you going to do? Set your guard's on me" Arthur snarled

"No" Valliant told him throwing a mace toward him

"Your mine" he said taking out his own mace

Melinda wanted to step in and stop the fight before it started but it was already too late. Valliant had swung his mace violently towards Arthur's head before Arthur had even untangled the chain of his mace.

Arthur managed to duck and role away from Valliant, he was on his feet and swinging his mace with just as much force as his opponent before Melinda could even scream.

Melinda could see confusion on Valliant's face, he thought he had picked a fight with some country bumpkin that didn't' know how to defend himself. He had no way of knowing that this country bumpkin had been trained by a Knight from a young age.

The two young men weaved their way thought the stalls of the market place expertly swinging their maces and dodging each other's blows, some of the stalls lost produce to the fight but no one seemed to mind they were all too caught up in the fight to care about the damage it caused

There were a number of occasions during the fight that Melinda could have used her magic to help Arthur and she desperately wanted to but she restrained herself knowing that Arthur would say that it was his fight and that he didn't need her help, he would have been right until it became clear to Valliant that this was one fight he wasn't going to win by fair means.

The cunning Knight quickly changed tactics; instead of swinging his mace at Arthur he swung it at one of the supports that was holding up the stall beside him.

Melinda didn't know if Valliant was hoping to pull the stall down on top of Arthur or not but that wasn't what happened; instead of falling forward the stall fell backwards towards a group of innocent spectators one of which was Gwen

"Gwen" Melinda screamed out to her new friend but she knew even with her magic she was too far away to help her Arthur however wasn't. He abandoned his mace and dived towards Gwen, he knocked her to the ground and the two of them rolled a safe distance away from the falling stall

Valliant saw his opportunity and seized it. He stood over Arthur and Gwen swinging his mace.

"Do you concede?" he demanded letting the mace swing dangerously close to Gwen

Valliant wasn't the only person that knew an opportunity when they saw it; with all eyes on the seine before them Melinda knew she wasn't going to get a better chance than this to help Arthur and Gwen

With a brief flash of her eyes Valliant's mace became tangled in some low hanging baskets behind him. When the Knight turned to try and release his mace Melinda raced forward intent on helping her friends but she never reached them

As she passed Valliant he gave up on his mace in favour of grabbing Melinda around the waist instead

"It looks like I got what I wanted anyway" he spat at Arthur pulling a struggling Melinda closer to him

In that moment Melinda knew Valliant had pushed it too far because all of the emotion drained from Arthur's face along with the colour, Melinda had only seen Arthur like this once before and once was more than enough. If Arthur with his fiery temper was a scary thing then in a cold rage he was terrifying

Melinda was wrenched away from Valliant so hard and fast that the sleeve of her dress was still in his hand.

Valliant didn't know what hit him all he knew was that it hit him hard and it wasn't stopping.

Melinda and Gwen stood huddled together just watching as Arthur pummelled Valliant with blow after blow

"Can't you stop him?" Gwen asked Melinda desperately

"No, no one can, not when he is like this" Melinda said fearfully

Suddenly the all the cheering and chanting that had been coming from the surrounding crowd stopped, the whole market place fell silent and Melinda was sure that was not a good thing.

"What is the meaning of this" a regal voice roared

Melinda spun towards the voice and found that it belonged to Uther Pendragon, definitely not good

"Guard's seize that man" he ordered with a sweep of his arm

As Arthur was dragged off Valliant by two of the biggest guard's Melinda could see light in his eyes again at least he had regained control of himself

"What is happening here?" Uther demanded

"This boy attacked me without cause" Valliant accuses as one of the guard's helped him to his feet

Melinda knew disagreeing with the King's chosen heir in front of the King was a bad idea but she had opened her mouth before she could stop herself

"That's a lie" she cried marching towards Valliant

"He was protecting me from you" she yelled at him

"Seize her too" Uther said in a board tone, going to inspect the injuries Arthur had inflicted on Valliant

It was obvious he was going to disregard anything that Melinda and Arthur had to say and believe everything Valliant said

Uther was puzzled by the cuts that marred Knight Valliant's cheeks they were small but deep

"Strange marks the boy left" He commented to Valliant whilst indicating to his cheeks

"He wears a ring" Valliant explained

"A big silver thing, so big that even with him attacking me so suddenly I noticed it" he went on

"Arthur didn't start this you did" the girl being held by the guards shrieked

Hearing the name Arthur caused Uther to frieze,

"Could it be?" He murmured to himself

"Bring the boy forward" he ordered the guards

Even as the boy was dragged towards him Uther knew who he was, He had seen his face before but it had been worn by another. There was no mistaking who the boy was but he had to be sure.

"Remove his ring and give it to me" Uther told one of the guards, the boy tried to resist but it was pointless and soon the ring was sat in Uther's palm. He inspected it carefully and just like the boys face he had seen it before

"Where did you get this?" He asked the boy softly

"It was my Mother's" the boy said gasping for breath

"I have had it all my life"

"And tell me boy do you know anything of a man by the name of Sir Ector?" Uther said just as softly as before

"Yes, he raised me" was all the boy said but it was all he needed to say

"And your name is Arthur?" Uther asked him

"Yes" the boy confirmed, that was all Uther needed to hear

"Release him" he commanded and the guards immediately obeyed

Uther reached out and took Arthur's hand slipping the ring back where it belonged and bringing his hand into the air

"People of Camelot, our peace celebrations will be far more joyous event than any of us could have anticipated because my son Prince Arthur has returned to claim his rightful place as heir to the throne of Camelot" he announced loudly to the gathered crowd who all burst into applause

"Come my son" Uther said tuning to Arthur

"We have much to discuss" he said leading the young man towards the castle

Arthur was too shocked to do anything but follow along until he heard one of the guards call out to Uther

"Sire, what shall we do with the girl" he said meaning Melinda who seemed to be even more shocked than Arthur

"Give her to Knight Valliant, if he wants her" Uther said dismissively

"No" Arthur objected loudly surprising Uther

"No?" Uther asked

"No" Arthur repeated though clenched theeth

"He may be a Knight but he is not an honourable man" Arthur seethed

"You cannot just hand Melinda over to him like a piece of meat" Arthur told him trembling with anger

"Very well" Uther agreed, in an attempt to calm his son

"Who is responsible for the girl" he asked

"I am sire" Gaius said emerging from the crowd

The guards handed Melinda over to Gaius so much as word while Uther continued to lead Arthur away. The two young friends exchanged a confused and upset look before Arthur disappeared from Melinda's view

"Gaius what's happening?" Melinda asked miserably

"I will explain inside" Gaius assured her as he lead her inside, Melinda felt sick she was sure she wasn't going to like his expiation

Arthur wasn't happy either he didn't want to be ushered inside by Uther and his royal guard he wanted to go with Gaius and Melinda. He didn't want anything to change but he had a sickening felling that changes were already accruing that couldn't be stopped and that things we're never going to be the same again

_AN: 2 Hey again Guy's I hope you liked it, if you have any constructive criticism on the mace fight please feel free to pass it on as fight seines aren't really what I do so I don't have much practice with them. _

_Let me know what you think_

_Thanks for reading_

_Millie_


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Hey Guys guess what? I still haven't reached the end of episode one. I really am trying but the characters keep hijacking my story and making it longer than it is meant to be. Oh well I am still having fun writing it so I don't really mind. Thank you for all of the amazing review's you guys have sent, they mean a lot to me _

_Disclaimer: Merlin is not mine_

**Dragons call part 5**

Gaius was barely through the door of his chambers before Melinda was demanding answers

"What is going on? Why does Uther think Arthur is his son?" she yelled at him

"Because he is" Gaius told her softly

"No, No that's not possible" Melinda denied vehemently while shaking her head

"Yes it is, and I think you know it" Gaius said gently leading Melinda to a chair so that she could sit down. The poor girl looked totally bewildered and in truth that is how she felt. There were so many emotions rolling around inside that she couldn't process them all and trying to made her feel sick and dizzy

She was both scared of and furious at Valliant, she didn't trust Uther at all; and for some reason that she couldn't place she was very, very angry with Gaius.

"How could this happen Gaius?" she finally asked laying her head down on Gaius's table in defeat

With a deep breath Gaius took the seat opposite Melinda and began to explain as best he could.

"Shortly after Uther had banned magic he captured and executed a very powerful sorcerer who had many followers. One of his followers was more zealous than all of the others; he swore that Uther's new born son would die by the hand of magic before he was ten years of age"

"That's terrible" Melinda gasped

"If Arthur lived past his tenth birthday then the sorcerer that swore the oath would be destroyed by his own magic and the threat to Arthur would be no more but Uther knew that as long as he stayed in Camelot the Prince was in danger, so he sent the infant into hiding with one of his most trusted Knight's" Gaius whispered as if he was imparting some huge secret

"Sir Ector" Melinda guessed

Gaius nodded

"Ector was meant to return Arthur to Camelot after his tenth birthday but he never did"

"Ector died when Arthur was only eight" Melinda told Gaius sadly

"But he made Arthur promise that one day he would come to Camelot, he said that his destiny was here" she whispered

"And so it is" Gaius agreed

"From the moment I saw him I knew that the true heir to the throne had finally returned" he said with a smile

Suddenly Melinda understood the anger that she was feeling towards Gaius and instead of fighting it like she had been for the last few minutes she decided to embrace it

"You knew" she accused jumping to her feet

"You knew and it never accrued to you to warn us, you never thought to tell Arthur that he wasn't really a farm boy from Ealdor he was actually the Prince of Camelot, you never thought to tell me I was about to lose my best friend forever" Melinda shrieked with tears slipping from her eyes.

She didn't give Gaius time to answer before she rushed out of the main room and up the steps into her own room. Gaius was left starring after her wondering if he would ever understand women.

Melinda threw herself onto her bed in tears, there were a lot of thing going on that she didn't understand but one thing she knew for sure was that things between her and Arthur would never be the same.

He was a Prince now, a Prince of a Kingdom that had banned magic at that. What place was there in his life now for the magical girl he had grown up with? He hadn't even come to check on her, not that she wanted him to check on her but he normally would have and the fact that he hadn't spoke volumes to Melinda

What Melinda didn't know was that Arthur had tried numerous times to come and check on but something or someone always seemed to get in his way. First Uther had shown him the rooms that would be his and insisted that Arthur change into something better suited to a noble man then he had given him a tour of the rest of the castle, telling him the same story that Gaius had told Melinda all the while reminding Arthur of the evils of magic.

Once he had finally been returned to his rooms and it seemed like he was going to have a chance to slip away to Gaius's chambers an elderly man who introduced himself as Fredric turned up with a large tray of food.

A sudden growling in his stomach reminded him of how long ago Gaius's soup had been and he knew that Gaius wouldn't let any harm come to his niece but he still wanted to see with his own eyes that she was alright.

He was going to pass up the food in favour of going to see Melinda when Fredric informed him he couldn't leave the room until he had eaten something by order of the king

Uther arrived while Arthur was eating

"I see you have met Fredric" he commented taking a seat with his son

"Yes, he was kind enough to bring me some food" Arthur said between mouthfuls, he had to admit the food was delicious

Uther let out a hardy laugh

"He didn't do it out of kindness Arthur, he is your servant it is his duty to see that you are taken care of" he told the boy

"My servant?" Arthur asked shocked

"What do I need a servant for?"

"To prepare your meals, clean for you, dress you and such" Uther listed off

Arthur was flabbergasted

"I don't need a servant" he spluttered

Uther just gave Arthur a look that said they were not discussing the matter further.

Arthur felt his heckles begin to rise the only man he had ever thought of as a father had died many years ago, now Uther had declared him the heir to the throne and was expecting him to be a respectful obedient son, it wasn't going to happen

"I do not need a servant" Arthur said slowly and firmly, he would respect Uther as his King because he didn't want to lose his head but the man would never be his father

"Very well Arthur" Uther conceded, believing that the boy would give in sooner or later and see the need for a servant

"You will however need Fredric for the next few days he is going to teach you court etiquette"

"Court etiquette?" Arthur gasped almost chocking on the mouthful of water he had just taken

"Yes, court etiquette" Uther sapped at the young man

"Every noble in the land is coming to our peace feast tomorrow evening and I will not be embarrassed by my son's lack of manners" he told Arthur coldly eyeing the water that was dripping from his chin

Uther left the room briskly with a swirl of his cape leaving Arthur to his meal and his lessons.

Arthur was also left wishing more than ever that he was back in Gaius's chambers with the often grumpy old physician and his sometimes annoying best friend

Back in Melinda's small room she was still sprawled on her bed but her tears had long since dried up

Gaius gave the door a gentle knock before entering

"Melinda, I want to take a look at you arm" he told her from the doorway

"My arm?" Melinda asked sitting up slowly and looking at him in confusion

"You've cut it" he stated

Melinda glanced down at her arm and for the first time noticed that her dress wasn't to only thing Valliant had damaged when Arthur pulled her away from him. Three long scratches ran along her forearm, she assumed they were from Valliant nails.

Gaius came in and took a seat next to Melinda on her bed. He retrieved some ointment and bandages from the case he had bought in with him, after inspecting Melinda's arm he began to apply the ointment to the scratches causing her to hiss in pain

"What am I going to do without him Gaius, he has always protected me" Melinda stated softly it was obvious to Gaius that she meant Arthur

"Why do you think you will have do without him?" he asked her just as softly

"Because I have magic" Melinda said sadly

"Your magic was never a problem before" Gaius reasoned as he began to bandage her arm

"But he was never the Prince of Camelot before" she whispered

"In Ealdor he was just Arthur and I was just Melinda here he's a Prince and I'm a monster"

"You're not a monster Melinda, don't ever think that" the old man told her fiercely

"Do you know why I am like this?" Melinda asked softly

"I'm afraid I don't" Gaius told her

"But what I do know is that just because Arthur is now a Prince doesn't mean you have lost him" he said firmly

"How can you know that?" Melinda wanted to know

"If Valliant didn't manage to scare him off nothing will" Gaius said smiling warmly

"Now here take this" he ordered passing her a small cup filled with a slimy looking liquid

"What is it?" Melinda asked eyeing the cup sceptically

"A sleeping draft to help you overcome the stress of the day" the physician explained

Melinda swallowed the draft in one gulp and found herself instantly feeling sleepy; she lay down and was asleep before Gaius had even left the room

As Melinda drifted off to sleep Arthur had finally been left alone but for some reason Uther seemed to think that his son needed guards posted outside his door which meant there would be no escape for him tonight.

Arthur was contemplating climbing into his ridiculously large bed and trying to sleep when there was a knock on the door

"Fredric, please just leave me alone" he yelled in frustration hoping that the man would take the hint and go away but the knocking continued

"What?" Arthur barked pulling the door open

He had expected to find Fredric at the door but it wasn't the old man servant that was stood there it was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen

"I'm sorry" he apologized immediately

"I thought you were-"

"Someone else, I know" the woman said interrupting him

"I am the Lady Morgana, I'm your father's ward" she told him

"He seems to have forgotten to introduce us, so I took matters into my own hands" she smiled while offering him her hand to kiss

"I'm Arthur" he said and she was actually pleasantly surprised when he shook her hand instead of kissing it

"I know who you are" Morgana assured him

"Can I come in?" she asked

"Yes, yes of course" Arthur stepped back to let her in

"There was actually another reason I came to see you" the Lady said taking a seat at the table and helping herself to a goblet of water.

"There was?" Arthur asked puzzled

Morgana smiled brightly up at him. She came to introduce herself and she wanted to thank Arthur for saving Gwen but they weren't the only reasons she had come, she wanted to find out all she could about the man she would be living with and may one day have to marry

"You saved my maid from being crushed earlier today" she told him

"Gwen" Arthur said remembering that she said she was the Lady Morgana's maid

Morgana smiled a nodded

"She is alright isn't she" he clarified recalling just how hard they had hit the ground

"Yes she's fine, thanks to you" Morgana reassured him

"That's why I'm here I owe you my thanks, Gwen is far more than a maid to me, she is the best friend I could ever ask for and I don't know what I would do without her" Morgana confessed

"I know the feeling, if anything happened to Melinda I would never forgive myself" Arthur said without really thinking

"You mean Gaius's ward the girl you fought Valliant for" Morgana asked fishing gently for information.

Arthur nodded

"She must be a special girl to incite such protectiveness" Morgana commented softly wondering if there was a romantic relationship between the two of them

"I would say so but she would say I am just an over protective prat that is far too eager to fight" Arthur said chortling

"You seem to know her very well, how long have you known her? Morgana asked.

"The first time I met Melinda was the day she was born, I was two at the time. I don't remember anything about it but Ector used to tell me that I cried when it was time for us to go. From then on we were always together along with my step brother Will who came along a year later" He told her with a bright smile

"Sounds like an interesting childhood" Morgana chuckled liking the open young man more and more by the minute

"Oh it was" Arthur laughed

"We terrorized the whole village with our pranks and you wouldn't believe some of the trouble we got our self's into" he said impishly

"And being to oldest you always looked after the other two and got them out of trouble, right" Morgana said softly

"Normally" Arthur agreed almost wistfully

"And now you are stuck in here and worrying that Melinda needs you" Morgana stated wisely

Arthurs eye shot up to meet Morgana's he was shocked at how well she could already read him.

"If you could get out of here and check on Melinda would that set your worries to rest" she asked him placing her now empty goblet back on the table

"Yes but there is no way I can talk the guards into just letting me slip past them is there" Arthur asked rhetorically

"You don't have to" Morgana smirked

"There is a guard change in five minutes" she told him

"You will have two or three minutes of no guards at your door will that be long enough for you or shall I cause a distraction?" she asked

"No, no distraction necessary but thank you" he told her

"Well then I will bid you good night Arthur" she said rising to her feet

"Good night Morgana" Arthur replied as he watched her leave

Once the Lady Morgana had gone Arthur pressed his ear to the thick wooden door and waited for the distinctive sounds the heavily armed guards made as they were leaving. As soon as there was silence outside the door Arthur slipped out of the door and into the shadows making his way to Gaius's chambers.

Arthurs plan was to reach the physicians chambers without being detected, reassure himself that all was well with his friend and return to his new chambers before anyone missed him. It was a good plan but it seems destiny had another plan for him and Melinda.

Deep in the bowls of the castle a great creature of the old religion had been calling out to a young sorceress for days, tonight she would finally heed his call and both she and Camelot's once and future King would learn who they were truly meant to be

_Thanks for reading_

_Let me know what you think_

_Millie_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Hi everyone, here is chapter 6 it is not as long as the last few I am afraid and I __**STILL**__ haven't reached the end of episode one but it was a fun chapter to write so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your reviews I really appreciate them_

Disclaimer: I still don't own Merlin

**Dragons call part 6**

Melinda tossed and turned in her small bed. Gaius's sleeping draft was trying to keep her in a deep dreamless sleep like it was meant to but something far more powerful than it was demanding that she wake up.

The same voice that had been haunting her ever since she had arrived in Camelot was calling out to her once again. Eventually the demanding roar pushed Melinda not only out of sleep but also right out of her bed.

She landed on the floor with a hard thump, for a moment she sat there alone in the darkness listening to the silence that surrounded her.

She had almost convinced herself that there had been no voice and it was all just in her head but then it came again

"Melinda" it growled almost like it knew that she was trying to ignore it

Sighing in frustration Melinda got to her feet and slipped into some of her boy's clothes, she wasn't going to get a restful night of sleep until she confronted the voice and she knew it

It didn't take her long to get dressed and she impressed herself by managed to cross the main room without waking Gaius, she was feeling pretty lucky until she stepped into the hall. No sooner had the door closed behind her than she was pulled away from it and into the nearest dark corner.

Fear swamped her senses when she felt her hands being pinned at her side by one hand and her mouth being covered with the other. It didn't seem to matter how much she struggled her captor was not going to let her go, he just stood there holding her and laughing.

All of her fear suddenly fled when she recognized the laugh that was rumbling in her ear.

"Easy, Melinda it's just me" Arthur's voice confirmed her suspicion that it was him.

Melinda gave Arthur a hard magical shove that made him release her and sent him stumbling to the ground "Why didn't you do that in the first place?" he asked from the floor

"What's the point of saving myself with magic just so I can live long enough to lose my head for using magic?" Melinda said answering his question with one of her own

Arthur didn't like the playful tone in Melinda's voice when she said that, he knew that she was probably trying to lighten the mood because she was embarrassed by the whole experience but he still didn't like it

"Melinda the next time someone grabs you like that, I want you to promise me you will do whatever it takes to protect yourself" He told her firmly

"And when they go screaming to the King that I am a magic user, what do I do then?" Melinda asked sitting down next to Arthur in the shadows

"Then you deny everything and get the Prince to vouch for you" Arthur told her with a teasing smile

Melinda felt a ripple of sadness flow though her at the unneeded reminder of the change in Arthur' status

"Oh yes you are a Prince now" she said pretending she had forgotten

"What's that like?" she asked putting her head on his shoulder

"So far it's like being a child again" Arthur gowned putting his arm around her

"I can't go anywhere or do anything on my own, I had sneak out just so I could check on you" he told her frustrated

"Your here to check on me?" Melinda asked sounding surprised

"Of course I am" Arthur told her gently

"What did you think I was just going to forget about you?" he laughed

"I did wonder" Melinda admitted guiltily

"That's never going to happen" Arthur reassured her pulling her closer to him

"I'm glad to hear it" Melinda smiled brightly

"You are alright aren't you?" Arthur asked returning to his previous point

"Yes I'm fine" Melinda said with only the slightest of hesitations.

She was perfectly fine but she knew that if she didn't mention the scratches she had received and Arthur found out he would be furious with her.

"Really?" Arthur asked giving her a look that said he knew there was something she wasn't telling him

"I got a few scratches" she conceded

"But I really am fine, Gaius took care of them for me" she rushed on when she saw anger filling Arthur's face

"I'm so sorry Melinda" he whispered pressing a kiss to her fore head

"Don't be" Melinda told him as she got to her feet and helped him up

"You saved both me and Camelot from Valliant" she smiled warmly, she would much rather have Arthur as King than Valliant and she was sure she wasn't the only one

Arthur didn't know how Melinda always knew what he needed to hear weather they were in windswept Ealdor or a darkened hallway of Camelot but he was glad that she did.

"What were you doing out here" Arthur asked suddenly wondering why they were in a darkened hallway of Camelot

"I heard the voice again" Melinda told him

"It's calling to me and driving me mad, I have to find out who it is" she said with a desperate edge in her voice

"Do you still hear it?" he asked

Melinda listened for a moment before nodding her head

"Ok, well then lead the way" Arthur commanded

Melinda didn't move she just gave him confused look

"Your coming with me?"

"Well I'm not going to let you go alone" he told her firmly

Melinda didn't question Arthur further she just began to lead him though the castle and across the court yard following the voice. In the lowest level of the castle they came to a passage way that was being guarded by two men playing some kind of dice game.

"What do we do now" Arthur whispered as they hid around the corner to avoid being seen

"I don't know, you're the Prince can't you order them to let us passed" Melinda asked him

"Did you miss the part where I snuck out" Arthur hissed

"If they see me they will drag me back to my rooms before I can even open my mouth" he told her

"You have rooms?" Melinda asked him emphasizing the plural

"And a servant" he added off handily

"What?" she gasped

"Temporarily at least" he explained

"Why?" Melinda wanted to know

"Can we discuss this later please?" Arthur asked beginning to get agitated

"Ok" Melinda agreed

"I'll handle this" she said peering around the corner

Melinda focused intently on the dice and sent the clattering off the table and onto the floor. She would let men almost reach them before making them role further into the darkness of the surrounding hallways soon both men had abandoned their posts and were following the runaway dice

When the guards were out of sight Melinda and Arthur quickly slipped out of their hiding place and down the passage way that the men had been guarding.

Arthur took the time to stop and light a torch from the wall mounted flame as they passed.

They definitely needed the torch as they moved deeper into the passage way, the further they went the rockier the ground became until they arrived in a vast cavern.

This was it, Melinda knew it, this was where the voice was coming from but she couldn't see anyone. The cavern was so huge that Arthur's torch didn't stand a chance of illuminate all of it

"Where are you?" she screamed into the darkness

"I'm here" came the reply; Melinda was startled to hear it echo around the cavern, it wasn't in her head this time

The next instant the most majestic creature that either of them had ever seen had swooped down and landed on a rock formation before them. He was all golden scales and huge wings, he had a mouth full of razor sharp teeth but he actually looked more like he was smiling at them than threatening them.

"How small you both are" he commented peering down at the two friends

"Your a dragon" Arthur said gazing at the creature in wonder

"How observant you are, young Prince of Camelot" the dragon teased him

"You know who I am?" Arthur gasped

"I know a great deal about both of you" the dragon told him

"I know your destinies"

"Our destinies?" Melinda questioned

"Yes your destinies as Camelot's mighty warrior King and his all powerful sorceress" the dragon proclaimed shocking them both

"I think you might have this wrong" Melinda spluttered

"Arthur hasn't even been a Prince for a whole day yet and I am far from all powerful" she told him but the dragon just laughed

"I don't speak of what you are young sorceress but what you will become" he told them softly

"I still think you have got the wrong girl" Melinda told him.

She could see Arthur as a great leader who was loved by all his people but there was no way that she would one day become all powerful

"Your gifts were given to you for a reason Melinda" the dragon told her

"Arthur is the once and future King, it is his destiny to unite the land of Albion"

Melinda noticed that Arthur had gone white as chalk but the dragon didn't seem to care and just continued on

"It is your destiny to ensure he lives long enough to succeed, he will face many dangers from friend and foe alike and without you he will never survive" he concluded

Melinda and Arthur exchanged concerned looks

"You aren't exactly making this sound appealing" Arthur told the dragon but once again he only laughed

"Whether it appeals to you or not is irrelevant young Pendragon, it is your destiny"

"And what if we don't want it, what if we decide that your wrong" Melinda asked defiantly

"There is no right or wrong Melinda only what is and isn't and sadly we do not chose our destines nor can we escape them" he told the two youngsters

"But I don't know anything about being a King" Arthur yelled desperately

"That will change in time, I have no doubt that you two will fulfil you destines" the dragon told them confidently before it took flight and left the bewildered Prince and sorceress standing in an empty cavern

Melinda and Arthur wanted to know more but no matter how much they yelled and screamed it became clear that the dragon was not going to return and the longer they stayed there the more chance there was they would be caught.

As the two young friends crept through the hallways returning to their rooms they had no way of knowing that they were not the only ones roaming the castle that night.

Mary Collins was pacing the hall outside her room she could not sleep her mind was in turmoil. She had made her peace with ending the life of Knight Valliant but then Uther real son had returned.

All evening at dinner Uther had not stopped talking about the boy and the plans he had for him. It became clear that Valliant death would mean nothing to him now, the victim of her revenge had to be the Prince but the boy was an innocent.

For a moment Mary had truly considered abandoning her plan but then her owns sons face had flashed into her mind. Her dear, sweet Thomas was an innocent too and Uther had not shown him any mercy. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his terrified face as he was led to his execution and the pain would rip through her all over again

Uther needed to feel the pain she felt, he needed to suffer knowing he could not save his child from death. So innocent or not the boy would have to die.

_Thanks for reading _

_Let me know what you think_

_Millie_


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: 1Guys, Guys, Guys guess what? I did it. I reached the end of episode one. Thank you so much for all you reviews, they really keep me going_

Disclaimer: Yet again sadly I do not own Merlin

**Dragons call part 7**

The next morning Arthur had to try to explain to an enraged Uther why he was found sleeping on the spare cot in Gaius's chambers instead of in his own rooms. Luckily for the young Prince the quick witted physician had stepped in with a believable lie.

He told Uther that Arthur had been suffering with an extremely painful headache due to the strain of recent events and that he had come to see him in the early hours of the morning. Gaius had explained that the pain relief he had given Arthur had the unfortunate side effect of knocking the young man out, so Gaius had left him to sleep it off in the spare cot rather than trying to return him to his own rooms

Arthur was impressed he had never seen anyone lie so quickly and smoothly before, and Gaius was lying to a King no less. Thankfully Uther didn't think to ask why Arthur's guards had not seen him leave and Gaius didn't seem to want to know why Arthur was really there

The truth was that he and Melinda had sat up most of the night talking about what the dragon had told them, they had agreed that they should keep their visit to the dragon between themselves at least for now.

Arthur had also explained to Melinda about Fredric, she was about as happy about him having a man servant as he was but he assured her that once he had learnt the ins and outs of court life Fredric would be reassigned and that seemed to put her mind at ease. Neither of them particularly enjoyed being reminded that there was now a huge difference between their social standing that had not been there before

Uther accepted Gaius's excuse without batting an eye lid but he insisted that Arthur leave with him. Arthur had hoped that he could stay until Melinda was awake but he was wise enough to know that arguing with Uther was not a good idea so he got to his feet and followed the King out of the room.

Shortly after Uther and Arthur had left Melinda stumbled down the steps and into the main room.

"Ah so you are finally awake" Gaius smiled at her

"I think so" Melinda answered poking at the food Gaius placed in front of her

"Well once you are awake, I need you to gather some herbs for me and to deliver a sleeping draft to Morgana" Said Gaius

"The poor girl is having nightmares" he told her

"She's not the only one" Melinda murmured remembering the encounter she and Arthur had last night

"What was that?" Gaius asked not hearing what she had said

"Nothing" Melinda reassured him with a smile before bowing low over her food to hide her face

In his room Arthur was also sitting down to his breakfast but whereas Melinda was eating a bowl of porridge he had a mountain of food in front of him, and instead of Gaius to talk to he had Fredric talking at him about all the things he could and couldn't' t do at the feast that night.

Arthur's head was reeling; he was positive that no matter how many times Fredric told him the rules of etiquette he was never going to remember them all. He could only hope that he would make it thought the night without any major incidents.

Beginning to feel sick with worry Arthur pushed away from the table and made his way to the window, he was hoping that the view would calm his nerves.

In the court yard he saw a familiar figure; Melinda once again dressed as a girl was wandering aimlessly across the paved area. Arthur assumed she was on a delivery for Gaius and had most probably lost her way. He couldn't help but smile despite his nerves, he took a few deep calming breaths before turning back to Fredric and trying to take in all the information the man servant was giving him.

Melinda felt a surge of relief and pride at finding her way to the Lady Morgana's chambers unaided.

She gave the door a gentle tap and waited for an answerer

"Come in Gwen" a melodic voice called out

Melinda pushed the door open before stepping thought it despite not being Gwen

The woman on the other side of the door had to be the most breath taking creature Melinda had ever seen and just last night she had met a dragon.

She had to be the Kings ward, the Lady Morgana was said to be the most beautiful woman in Camelot and Melinda could not imagine any woman could be more beautiful that the one before her

"I'm sorry Lady Morgana, I'm not Gwen" Melinda apologized

"I can see that" Morgana said with an amused smile

"Gaius asked me to bring you this" Melinda said offering her the sleeping draft

Morgana accepted the bottle with an even bigger smile, if this girl was running errands for Gaius she must be his new ward

"Your Arthur's Melinda" she said shrewdly

"Well I don't know about being Arthur's but I am Melinda" The girl said with a laugh

"You are his friend aren't you?" Morgana clarified

"I have been all my life" Melinda agreed

"But normally when someone calls me Arthur's Melinda it means that they believe there is more than friendship between us" she explained

"Does that happen a lot?" Morgana asked softly

"More often than you would think considering how small our village was" Melinda smiled

"Normally it was some old mach maker hoping that if she suggested it then it would happen" Melinda laughed again

This time Morgana laughed as well, she was going to like this girl she was sure of it

"Tell me Melinda will you be attending this evening's feast" she asked warmly

"Gaius has got me a job serving for the night" Melinda told her

"Then I shall see you tonight" Morgana said dismissing Melinda in the friendliest tone she could

Melinda gave her one more smile before exiting the room. In the hall she passed Gwen but neither girl had time to stop and talk. Gwen had to help Morgana get ready for the feast and Gaius had insisted that Melinda hurried back so he could explain to her what would be required of her at the feast; Melinda had a feeling it was going to be a long expiation.

Mary had also begun preparing for the feast. She had decided which of Lady Helen's beautiful gowns she was going to wear that evening and she had styled her hair. Sadly her preparations had also included disposing of a maid who had been unlucky enough to see Mary's true form reflected in her mirror.

Looking down at the lifeless girl Mary waited for the huge rush of guilt she knew she should have felt but it never came, all she felt was the slightest twinge of sadness for the girl. It was a shock to realize that over the last few days she had become what Uther Pendragon had always believed her to be, cold hearted and evil.

She felt a sinister smile spread across her lips as she chose to embrace the change, Uther was going to learn a painful lesson that night and she was going to enjoy teaching him.

It was not only the women of the castle that were getting ready; Arthur was also getting dressed up. Fredric had provided him with a pair of formal trousers and a jacket both of which Arthur actually quite liked. He had however not liked Fredric's offer to help him dress. Arthur had flatly refused, he had been dressing himself since he was a young child and he intended to continue doing so

The only complaint Arthur had about his formal wear was that he thought it was strange and rather silly to wear a cape indoors but Fredric insisted that it was the done thing.

By the time it was finally time for the feast to begin Arthur was really looking forward to getting out of his room he hadn't left it all day and he hated staying in one place for so long, he didn't like the fact that he hadn't seen Melinda all day either.

The two of them never normally went a whole day without speaking in less they had had some kind of falling out. Arthur was surprised that he was missing his friend after only one day but he was and he hoped that she would be coming to the feast with Gaius.

The grand hall where the feast was being held was teaming with noble guests and servant rushing around to see to their every need but Arthur spotted Melinda the moment she entered with Gaius. She must have been looking for him too because her eyes met his almost instantly

Arthur excused himself from the group of Knight's who had been trying extremely hard to impress him for the last few minutes and made his way over to Melinda and Gaius

"Good evening Gaius" he greeted formally as Fredric had instructed him

"Good evening Arthur" Gaius returned knowing that it was really Melinda the young Prince was interested in

"I will leave the two of you to talk" the physician told them

"But remember Melinda you are here to work" he reminded her

The youngsters just smiled at the old man as he turned and left

"So has being a Prince gotten any less boring yet?" Melinda asked Arthur teasingly

"No, if anything today has been worse" Arthur told her with a laugh

"Oh well, I sure living in the lap of luxury will make up for the boredom" Melinda smiled

"I doubt it" Arthur mumbled

"But how is life as the physician's ward and assistant" he asked

"Assistant Ha, I'm his errand girl" Melinda told him

"But at least I get to meet some interesting people, like her" she added pointing to the main door where Morgana had just stepped in

Anything else either of them might have wanted to say was cut off as the Lady Morgana made her grand entrance she looked even more beautiful in her flowing red gown than she had that afternoon

"God have mercy" Arthur whispered in awe

Melinda just smiled she couldn't remember the last time a woman had affected him like this, he obviously liked Gwen but Morgana had knocked him right off his feet

Morgana made her way towards them with a warm smile

"Good evening Arthur, Melinda" she greeted them both with a regal bob of her head

"Morgana" Arthur replied breathlessly

"Lady Morgana" Melinda said much more respectfully, she even tried to drop a curtsey but it didn't turn out very well and all three of them laughing at her awful attempt

"I should go and do some work" Melinda said once their laugher had subsided, with a warm smile she left the two young noble's in each other company and went to start serving like the rest of the maids

She was filling the goblets of some noble men when Gwen joined her with a bright smile

"She looks great doesn't she?" the young maid gushed referring to her mistress who was still taking to Arthur

"She is very beautiful" Melinda agreed

"Some people are just born to be Queen" Gwen stated

"Excuse me?" Melinda asked confused

"Don't you think they are well matched?" Gwen queried

"They have only just met, no one can tell if they will fall in love yet" Melinda said still feeling very confused

Gwen couldn't help but laugh

"Royalty doesn't marry for love, Melinda" she told her friend

"Arthur will" Melinda told Gwen firmly

"How can you know?" Gwen wondered

"Because he has always sworn that he will marry for love alone and becoming a Prince won't change that" Melinda said confidently

"You really think so?" Gwen asked in a disbelieving tone

"He is still the same prat he always was" Melinda laughed, what she really wanted to tell Gwen was that he was still the same ordinary man she had met in the stocks yesterday but she was pretty sure that Gwen wouldn't believe her.

Gwen and Melinda continued to work in a companionable silence until a loud trumpet blast announced the entrance of King Uther. All of the guests took their seats and the servants took up their positions all around the room, Melinda's was on some stairs right next to the royal table.

She noticed with some surprise that only Uther, Arthur and Morgana were sitting at the head table. Melinda couldn't help but wonder where Valliant was sitting as the forma heir to the throne her eyes scanned the room but she couldn't find him anywhere.

Melinda was so busy looking for Valliant that she completely missed Uther announcing Lady Helen the first she knew of the famed singer's arrival was when her beautiful voice began to fill the room.

Melinda was stunned by Lady Helens voice; she had never heard anything so enchanting.

She ripped her eyes away from the songstress and glanced at Arthur to see if he was as impressed as she was but to her horror Arthur was falling asleep. She was even more horrified when she realized that he was not the only one, with ever second that passed more and more people were falling asleep.

Melinda slapped her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to keep herself awake. Soon Melinda was the only person awake aside from Lady Helen herself everyone else had fallen under the songs spell. She watched as Lady Helen glided towards the royal table singing all the while.

Melinda felt her blood run cool when she saw Lady Helen produce a dagger from her sleeve but the woman's next move caused it to boil. Lady Helen was aiming her dagger directly at Arthur.

Melinda knew she had to do something to save Arthur but she had no idea what she could do until Lady Helen passed beneath one of the great halls chandeliers. Melinda's magic roared to life and an instant later the chandelier came crashing down onto Lady Helen.

As soon as Lady Helen stopped singing all those who had been asleep began to wake up, they came to and found themselves covered in cobwebs. There were gasps from all corners of the room when the Kings guests realized they had been the victims of magic and that someone impersonating Lady Helen was responsible for it.

Arthur and Uther both stood from their chairs in shock to look down on the seemingly dead witch who had reverted back to her true form. For a moment everyone including Melinda believed that the hag was dead and the attack was over but they were wrong.

With a last surge of strength Mary Collins manager to push herself up and let her dagger fly, aiming striate for the heart of the prince of Camelot.

Melinda acted with no thought at all; she took off running towards Arthur as fast as she possibly could. Her magic slowed time just enough for her to reach her friends side and pull him out of danger. The dagger that was meant for him embedded it's self harmlessly into the back of his chair

The knowledge of her failure was the last living thought that filled the mind of Mary Collins before death took her

Arthur slowly got to his feet before helping Melinda to stand as well, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her for all he was worth not caring that it went against every rule that Fredric had spent all day drilling into him

"You're the girl from Ealdor" Uther demanded approaching them as soon as Arthur released Melinda

"Yes Sire" Melinda answered quietly not really knowing or caring how he knew who she was

"You saved my sons life" he said stating the obvious

"You shall be rewarded" Uther told her with a large smile

"That's not necessary Sire" Melinda was going to tell Uther that she saved Arthur because he was her friend not because he was his son, but the King never gave her a chance

"Of course it is necessary, the debt must be repaid and this merits something quite special, you shall become Arthur Royal companion" he decreed before marching away

"My what?" Arthur yelled after the King but no one could hear it over the applause filling the hall

Later that night when Melinda and Arthur were sat with Gaius in his chambers Arthur finally got the answered to his question

"Essentially she is your servant Arthur" Gaius told him

"She will accompany you everywhere you go and do whatever you ask of her" he explained

Both Arthur and Melinda laughed, knowing that there was no way Melinda would obey Arthurs every order without question

"No wonder he looked so pleased with himself" Arthur said referring to Uther

"He found a way to give me a servant and I can't say no because it's your reward" he said in exasperation

"Some reward" Melinda commented playfully

"I think I may have a slightly more fitting reward for you Melinda" Gaius told her handing over a package wrapped in cloth

"This book was given to me when I was your age but I have a feeling it will be of more use to you than it was to me" he said as Melinda carefully unwrapped her reward

"This is a book of Magic" Melinda gasped in delight as she opened up the book

"It seems your talents have a purpose after all" Gaius stated looking at Arthur for his agreement

"Your right Gaius they do, the protection of Camelot" the young man agreed softly getting to his feet to examine the book with Melinda

"And it's Prince" Melinda teased him

Arthur didn't want to admit that Gaius and the dragon were right and that Melinda's magic existed to protect him but he had the feeling that by denying it he was fighting a losing battle so he decided to just stop fighting

Gaius couldn't help but laugh; so much had happed to the two young people over the last few days. So much had changed for them one had become a Prince and the other a hero but so much was still the same, they were sill the closest of friend and he could only hope they would remain that way

_AN: I am so glad I got this finished during my week off, Valliant is next but that may take longer as I am now back in work. Just out of curiosity how many of you guessed why Valliant was not at the feast._

_Thanks for reading_

_Let me know what you think_

_Millie_


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Hi guys, I'm back. Sorry this has taken so long but I was away on a family holiday for a while and I am still kind of jet lagged a week later. Anyway here is chapter 8 I hope you enjoy it. _

**Chapter 8**

The sun rose slowly over Camelot its golden rays illuminating every corner of the ancient castle; it was a beautiful sight to behold, one that not many people got to see. Both Melinda and Arthur were among the lucky few.

A week had passed since the feast where Melinda had saved Arthurs life and earned herself the title of Royal companion. Every morning the two of had risen before the sun and watched as it bather Camelot in light but never had they welcomed the first rays of morning together.

Arthur had watched each sun rise from the window of his royal quarters while Melinda had seen it from the kitchens while she was collecting Arthur's breakfast.

The friends didn't like the idea of one of them waiting on the other but they had agreed that Melinda should at least appear to be carrying out her duty's to ensure that neither of them faced the wrath of King Uther who had made it very clear he did not approve of their friendship.

Each morning Melinda had appeared to fetch a large breakfast for Arthur before heading to the princes cambers to wake him and help him to prepare for the day. In truth what she had been doing was fetching breakfast for both of them before going to meet an already awake and dressed Arthur in his rooms. The two would eat together while discussing what would be expected of Arthur during the coming day.

They would also decide what chores Melinda should be seen to be doing that day and how Arthur could help her with them. It was not unusual for Melinda to be seen mucking out the princes stables late in the evening what no one ever saw was that the prince himself was in there with her doing a fair share of the work

"What is Uther demanding of you today?" Melinda asked as she began to clear away the plates from their morning meal

"The tournament starts tomorrow" Arthur reminded her putting on his boots

"So you will be knocking seven bells out of the knights of Camelot again today" she returned with a smile

Every day for the last week Arthur had taken part in a least one training session with Uther's knights and they had quickly learnt to fear him, Arthur was already being proclaimed the greatest warrior in Camelot and the one to beat in upcoming tournament

"Actually I was thinking that one on one practice would be better today" he told her with a smirk

"Really who is the unlucky participant in this practice?" Melinda asked airily turning to leave the room

"You"

Arthurs answer almost made Melinda drop the plates she was carrying

"You can't be serious" she gasped at him.

She had grown up training with him and Will but she had believed those days were over and she had been grateful that they were

"I can be and am serious" Arthur said firmly

"Now run along and change into something more appropriate" he told her casting a look over the brown dress she was wearing

"You can't fight in that" he pointed out the obvious

Melinda nodded finally accepting that he was not joking and left the room without a word

Arthur sighed as he watched her go, he would never admit it to her but he was doing this for Melinda's own good. he knew she did not enjoy fighting she never had she much preferred to magically push someone over and run for all she was worth but he also knew that using her magic was no longer a safe option at least not in Camelot. Something else he would never tell Melinda was that he had seen a number of men's eyes following her and he needed to know that she could fight off someone bigger and stronger that her without using magic if she ever needed to.

A clatter of hooves in the court yard drew him to the window just in time to see the man he considered Melinda's biggest threat dismounting his horse, Knight Valliant had returned to Camelot and Arthur strongly wished that he had not.

The last time Arthur had seen Valliant was before the feast and the man's words and actions had made it clear that Melinda was not safe with him at least he had made it clear to Arthur, Melinda seemed to believe Valliant was only using her to get at him. Arthur didn't care which of them was right because either way Valliant was still a very dangerous man.

When Melinda returned to Arthurs chambers wearing her oldest birches and tunic she found that Arthur was already dressed in his armour well as in it as he could get unaided, she quickly moved to help him, tying cords and fastening clasps with nimble fingers.

"You really should wait for me to help you with this" Melinda commented as she finished

"I can dress myself Melinda" Arthur told her crossly

"Normally yes" she agreed

"In armour no" she shook her head to emphasize her point

"Stop stalling Melinda and come on" Arthur said already half out of the door

Melinda huffed out a breath and followed Arthur to a large muddy field beyond the walls of the city; the only stop they made along the way was at the armoury to collect a helmet and breast plate for Melinda.

As Melinda and Arthur squired off against each other they both instinctively fell into familiar defensive positions, they knew each other so well that they could normally predict what moves the other would make. They also knew each other well enough to know that if Melinda didn't use magic she didn't stand a chance against Arthur

Sparing with Arthur was never a pleasant experience for Melinda she much preferred fighting Will, he was not as big or strong as Arthur and out of the two of them he was also less likely to throw her in the mud

"Are you ready?" Arthur asked in an almost teasing manner

"Am I ever ready?" Melinda shot back

Arthur didn't say anything else before he launched his first attack; he moved quickly and swung his sword with the same precision and force he would use against the Knights of Camelot. He knew that some people would think that his actions were crewel but he also knew the one day his actions could save Melinda's life

When Sir Ector had first started training Arthur, Will and Melinda he had told the boys that if Melinda were ever in a real fight her opponent would not be gentle with her just because she was a girl and if they wanted her to survive that fight when it came they must fight her the same way they would fight each other

Arthur had taken the lesson to heart he had never taken it easy on Melinda every time he faced her he treated her as he would any other advisory.

Melinda stumbled due to the amount of force Arthur was using but she stayed on her feet. She had learnt long ago that when fighting Arthur her best course of action was to avoid as many of his attacks as she could and hope for a soft landing when he finally did knock her down.

Arthur was pleased with how well Melinda handled herself they hadn't sparred in a while and he was worried she may have forgotten everything but she moved well and actually managed to draw the fight out for longer that he had expected.

The fight may have lasted longer than Arthur had thought it would but he had always known how it would end, with one quick motion he swept Melinda's feet out for under her.

"Your dead" He panted down at his friend as he stabbed his sword into the grown next to her

"Not if I do this" Melinda countered tapping his ankle with her foot

Arthur looked down at his own foot in confusion

"How does that keep you alive?" he asked

"Well when I say that what I really mean is this" Melinda corrected herself

A sudden rush of gold filled the eyes that Arthur could just see though the helmet slits and his ankle was pulled out from under him leaving him spiralled in the mud next to Melinda

Arthur wanted to reprimand Melinda for her actions but he found that all he could do was laugh

"Please tell me that practice is over" Melinda begged pulling her helmet off

"Not by a long shot" Arthur told her as he got to his feet and fetched something from the bag he had bought with him. He held it aloft for Melinda to see

"How do you feel about learning to fight with a mace" he asked cheerfully unfurling the weapon

Arthur had expected some snappy come back he had not expected to get a face full of mud. Melinda had grabbed a handful of the slimy stuff she was still sitting in and hurled it at Arthur.

"You do realize that as prince of Camelot I have no chose but to retaliate" Arthur warned her as he wiped the mud from his face and threw the mace aside

Melinda tried desperately to get up and run but the slippery mud beneath her feet was not cooperating with that plan, she was helpless as Arthur charged towards her.

Melinda really tried to put up a fight and she managed to cover both Arthur and herself in mud from head to toe but there was no escape and soon he had her pinned to the ground with his large body hovering over her smaller one

"I win" Arthur told her with a smirk despite the fact he was gasping for air

For one breathless moment Melinda just starred up in to the eyes of her best friend, she knew she could easily rob him of victory using her magic but she just didn't have the heart to do it

"Alright you win" she conceded

"Now let me up you prat"

Arthur carefully got to his feet before helping Melinda up, the friends took one look at each other before busting into peals of laughter

They were still laughing when they stumbled though Gaius's door

"Look at the state of you two" chuckled the physician

"What on earth happened?" he asked

The prince and his royal companion shared a look before answering as one

"Practice" they both said fighting to keep a striate face

"Well you best clean yourselves up quickly" Gaius told them briskly

"Fredric is looking for you something about tournament etiquette" he explained to Arthur

"More lessons" Arthur groaned flopping onto a bench with his head in his hands, he hated this part of being a prince

"Don't worry, they won't be so bad this time I'll be there" Melinda told him playing with his blond locks in a comforting motion

Arthur smiled up at her in thanks but Gaius chose that moment to burst their bubble

"Actually you won't be Melinda, you are to have your own lessons here" he told the young sorceress pushing a huge book of tournament rules towards her. Melinda would have argued with the old man but there was something about the look in his eyes that warned her it would be a very bad idea

Arthur sighed heavily resigning himself to yet another afternoon in Fredric's tedious company, he pushed himself to his feet before he could find an excuse to stay

"It was nice to see you again Gaius" he said smiling warmly at the old man

"Melinda, thank you for training with me and I will see you at dinner" Arthur reminded her before turning towards the door

"Arthur wait" Melinda called to her friend stopping him before he even reached the door and hurrying to his side

"I'll bring your dinner early to save you from Fredric" she promised before pressing her lips to his cheek

As soon as Melinda's lips touched his skin Arthur felt the warm hum of magic flood over him.

"And I already saved you from one of his lectures" she told him cockily

Arthur didn't need to glance down to see that he was no longer covered in mud but he did so anyway just to be sure, he knew he should thank Melinda he always would have in the past but the look of displeasure plastered across Gaius's face told him it would not be a good idea.

"I will see you tonight" he said quickly slipping out the door to avoid Gaius's wrath which was almost as scary as Uther's

"Melinda, what have I told you about your frivolous use of Magic" Gaius warned his ward in exasperation

"I thought I was meant to use magic to protect Arthur" said Melinda in a light teasing tone

"Not from his man servant" Gaius told her firmly

"What happens if you were caught? What do I do then" he asked her sternly

There was a moment of puzzled silence before Melinda curiously asked

"What would you do Gaius?"

"Well if you are more careful we will never need to find out" Gaius said not really answering to question at all

"Why do I have to learn all this again?" Melinda asked Gaius as she sat down in front of the book of rules

"Because regardless of what title Uther gave you, you are still Arthur's servant" Gaius reminded her gently before leaving her to study the book of rules

"Some reward, for saving the princes life" Melinda mumbled for what felt like the millionth time

"I don't think Arthur is particularly pleased with his new position either" Gaius called from behind her

"Oh I know he's not but I think out of the two of us he got the better end of the bargain. He is a prince being fawned over by almost every lady of the court and I am his servant, you should see all the duties I have"

"We all have duties Melinda" Gaius told her

"Even Arthur, he will be King of Camelot one day I don't think either of you realize just how much is expected of him" He explained solemnly

For the first time since being appointed Arthurs royal companion Melinda began to see that no matter how hard she and Arthur tried to keep their friendship the same as it always had been his position and duties were going to make it impossible. While she sadly accepted this she was not prepared to give up her best friend without a fight

In his rooms Arthur was coming to much the same realisation. Melinda's magical clean up may have saved him from one of Fredric's lectures but he still had plenty more to dole out. At the moment he was busy berating the young prince for not keeping Melinda in her place properly

"You must understand Sire that regardless of the relationship you and the girl may have had in the past she is now your servant nothing more" the old man ranted on

"Fredric, Melinda has been my friend since the day she was born, I cannot simply disregard a life time of friendship" he shoot back agitated

"But if you care anything for her you must Sire" Fredric implored him

"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked sharply

"If you cannot remind your servant of her place the King will do it for you and I can guarantee you Sire you do not want that" Fredric told him in the kindest tone Arthur had ever heard him use

"I tell you this Sire because believe it or not I like Melinda and I do not want to see her suffer as other insolent young ladies have before her" Fredric explained softly

At that moment Arthur wanted nothing more that to forcefully eject Fredric from his rooms, how dare the wizened old goat try to tell him what was best for him and Melinda, he had protected Melinda all his life and being prince of Camelot was not going to stop him from continuing to do so

"Thank you Fredric, I will think on what you have said" Arthur dismissed the man servant with a tight smile trying to hide the anger that was simmering within him

That night when Melinda bought Arthur his meal the two friends agreed that it was no longer safe for Arthur to help Melinda with her chores, they also agreed that Melinda was to use magic as little as possible and that they should try to act more like the other masters and servants in the castle did, at least while other people were around. Neither of them liked it but they knew it was what they had to do if their friendship was to survive in Camelot

Melinda knew that if she was going to be a satisfactory servant to the prince of Camelot she was going to need help so the next day she went to the only trust worthy person she could think of, Gwen

Arthur had given her the morning off while he was training with the knights to prepare for the tournament starting in the afternoon.

The two young ladies spent the morning discussing all the things that Melinda should and shouldn't do before Gwen gave Melinda a final run thought of all the different pieces of armour and how to put them on.

"Why do you even need to know all of this?" Gwen asked as Melinda put Arthur's huge helmet on her own head

"I thought Fredric was Arthur's man servant and you where his companion?"

"Not for long, after this tournament Arthur and I are on our own and if Fredric is to be believe if I continue the way I am I will end up being dragged before Uther for insolence" Melinda told her friend, both of them shuddered at the thought

"How come you are so much better at all of this than me?" Melinda asked Gwen puzzled by how the young woman knew so much about so much

"Well I have been Morgana's maid for the last eleven year so that covers all the court etiquette and as for the armour what do you expect from a blacksmiths daughter" Gwen said with a chuckle

"Well oh wise blacksmiths daughter can you get me out of this thing it weighs a ton" Melinda asked cheekily making Gwen laugh even more.

"Will you be sitting with me and Morgana?" Gwen asked her friend hopefully just before she left

"I wish I could Gwen but I have been told my place is on the sidelines with Arthur" Melinda apologised

"And you wouldn't have it any other way" Gwen smiled at her

"Probably not" Melinda agreed before leaving Gwen's home

It took Melinda about two minutes to decide she did not like tournaments. She watched anxiously clutching Arthur's sword while Fredric dressed him in his armour much more expertly alone that she and Arthur had managed between them so far.

"Are you nervous?" she asked timidly

"Have you ever known me to be nervous Melinda?" Arthur asked in an almost board tone

"Well no but I've never known you to have to face something like this before" She babbled obviously nervous on his behalf

"No I'm not nervous" he reassured her

After a moment Fredric stepped back to survey his work

"Is he ready? He looks ready to me. Do you feel ready" Melinda rambled at both Fredric and Arthur

"I would feel more ready if I had my sword" Arthur told her pointing to the weapon that was still in her arms

"Yes, right you will be needing that" Melinda agreed stepping closer to hand the sword over.

"Don't worry so much Melinda, everything will be alright" Arthur whispered softly to her so that Fredric would not notice.

He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before making his way to the arena to compete in his first tournament.

_So that was chapter 8. I am trying to make the chapters longer so there are less of them per episode because as some of you have pointed out (my younger brother included) that 7 chapters for one episode is a bit much. Please let me know what you think of the longer chapter because it has taken me a while and been a bit of a struggle_

_Thanks for reading_

_Millie_


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